I knew it would happen sometime; it was just a matter of time. Why did it have to happen when the guy was here fixing our furniture?
Will got his scissors and took them to his room where he was supposed to be napping. He cut nearly a dozen slats off the blinds, then broke them into little pieces. While I was picking up the slat scraps and strings, he showed me his new do. My son will probably never be a hair-stylist. . . especially since he will never see scissors again. You know that earlier post about not hindering creativity? I changed my mind. Some things should be hindered.
The fix? I cut all of it off.
If you are wondering where the pictures are, there aren't any. Although I would've liked to capture a still shot of the mangy-dog-do, I didn't want him thinking we approved so I didn't take pictures. You'll probably see his military-cut later, just not today. He looked in the mirror and said, "Now, I look like a monkey!" . . . . . . . . . . no comment.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Nap time
This is Jon. He sleeps in a pack-n-play because he rocks himself to sleep. In the regular crib, he ends up with a bruised forehead which makes him sore and sleepless. In the pack-n-play, he still rocks, but it has a soft side so it doesn't hurt him and the rocking doesn't keep the rest of the family awake. BUT in the pack-n-play, he pulls up the mattress, and takes off the sheets, and rolls the mattress and flips it over. Without a mattress, the bottom is a thin piece of fabric covering metal supports. How canhe sleep like this??
Monday, May 12, 2008
In an e-mail to Allen:
Maddie must be getting teeth now, too, or she just feels awful. She has been crying almost non-stop since lunch. Ben had a few of his fits -- and seemed to feel a little better when he bit the armrest on the chair. He aimed to bite Jon's head, but I intervened. Jon was crying when Mad Mad Maddie or Biting Ben stole his toys. One time, Ben was mad and smacked Jon in the face with a toy.Will played outside a lot -- very lonely. Sometimes, I don't know how to keep that from happening. I never thought he could be so lonely having 3 siblings, but such is life when it's too muddy for them to go out. They are all in bed now. Will and I read about Mistress and Mister Mouse before he laid down. Maddie is screaming right now, but she has had some Tylenol, so I am waiting for it to kick in.
I had gotten out the camera to try to get photos of how lonely Will looked as he sat in the baby swing. (Yes, I did go give him a hug.) Then Jon posed so nicely so I got a few of him, too. Maddie was still crying (but had been given Tylenol.) Ben kept yanking on my shirt and playing peek-a-boo with it. I didn't get many photos before I felt guilty, so I put the camera down and held Maddie. By then, the little boys were mad that I wasn't holding them. With everyone crying hysterically, I called Will in and laid them all down for naps. Here are the pictures that perfectly sum up the kids' attitudes for the day.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Happy Mother's Day!
To both of our moms (I know you read this), to our grandmother's, our great-grandmother, and all our friends who are moms,
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!
It was an absolutely wonderful day for me. . . Maddie isn't feeling great and she was up last night a few times last night, so I didn't feel guilty at all for sleeping late. Will came in and woke me around 8:45 and told me that Daddy helped him make me breakfast. When I went to the living room, Maddie climbed in my lap, Ben toddled over for a hug, and Jon sat right where he was playing but he gave me his million-dollar grin. Will brought me some cards to open and read, and Allen served me warm pancakes with a kiss, then finished making my omelet. Allen sat down and ate with me and we shuffled kids through our laps in a "drive-thru" style (they just came for the bite of food, not the lovin'.) About the time the little ones were ready for a late morning nap, I drifted back to sleep -- being lulled by the cool breeze and wind-chime music coming through our windows. We had lunch, and then we all went outside to play in the yard. Several hours later, all four kids were ready for naps. While they did that, Allen played a computer game and I watched a movie and read a book. It was such a refreshing day, and I loved it. Allen was awesome at spoiling me -- thanks, babe! He was so on the ball, that he thought Mom's Day was last week and he had already given me the gift from him and the kids. Now I have an iPod, and some cool earphones that let me actually hear music (rather than whining. . .)
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!
It was an absolutely wonderful day for me. . . Maddie isn't feeling great and she was up last night a few times last night, so I didn't feel guilty at all for sleeping late. Will came in and woke me around 8:45 and told me that Daddy helped him make me breakfast. When I went to the living room, Maddie climbed in my lap, Ben toddled over for a hug, and Jon sat right where he was playing but he gave me his million-dollar grin. Will brought me some cards to open and read, and Allen served me warm pancakes with a kiss, then finished making my omelet. Allen sat down and ate with me and we shuffled kids through our laps in a "drive-thru" style (they just came for the bite of food, not the lovin'.) About the time the little ones were ready for a late morning nap, I drifted back to sleep -- being lulled by the cool breeze and wind-chime music coming through our windows. We had lunch, and then we all went outside to play in the yard. Several hours later, all four kids were ready for naps. While they did that, Allen played a computer game and I watched a movie and read a book. It was such a refreshing day, and I loved it. Allen was awesome at spoiling me -- thanks, babe! He was so on the ball, that he thought Mom's Day was last week and he had already given me the gift from him and the kids. Now I have an iPod, and some cool earphones that let me actually hear music (rather than whining. . .)
I almost forgot to mention that my best friend, Norla, and her husband Brad stopped in to see us all yesterday. They weren't here for very long, but it is always great to get to visit with a buddy! Norla and I were roommates about 15 years ago and she was my maid of honor at our wedding. I think the kids wore them out, but at least they were on their way to a vacation.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Quick Gyros Recipe
Allen and I love gyros, and one time we even made them. But that took a lot of effort, and sometimes it's just not worth the trouble. Last night, I made sort of a taco gyro & we loved it.
1 lb. lean ground beef
3 tbsp. Greek seasoning or more
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
salt to taste
As you are browning the beef in a skillet, add the seasonings. When beef is cooked,
taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.
Serve on warm flatbread with lettuce, tomato, onion, feta cheese, and tzitzi sauce.
I think the sauce tastes better when the flavors have time to mingle. This is my shortcut version, it is close to perfect & its quick. The tzatziki sauce is based on Alton Brown's recipe with a few minor changes. For the long-cooking version, his recipe is awesome.
Tzatziki Sauce:
16 ounces plain yogurt
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
Pinch kosher salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
4 drops of mint extract (or 6 mint leaves chopped finely)
Place the yogurt in a tea towel, gather up the edges, suspend over a bowl, and squeeze out whey. Place the chopped cucumber in a tea towel and squeeze to remove the liquid; discard liquid. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all of the above. Serve as a sauce for gyros. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.
We had these gyro/tacos for dinner last night and they were yummy & quick. The sauce took about 15 minutes to make, but needs to sit for several hours. The rest goes together in a jiffy!
1 lb. lean ground beef
3 tbsp. Greek seasoning or more
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
salt to taste
As you are browning the beef in a skillet, add the seasonings. When beef is cooked,
taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.
Serve on warm flatbread with lettuce, tomato, onion, feta cheese, and tzitzi sauce.
I think the sauce tastes better when the flavors have time to mingle. This is my shortcut version, it is close to perfect & its quick. The tzatziki sauce is based on Alton Brown's recipe with a few minor changes. For the long-cooking version, his recipe is awesome.
Tzatziki Sauce:
16 ounces plain yogurt
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
Pinch kosher salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
4 drops of mint extract (or 6 mint leaves chopped finely)
Place the yogurt in a tea towel, gather up the edges, suspend over a bowl, and squeeze out whey. Place the chopped cucumber in a tea towel and squeeze to remove the liquid; discard liquid. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all of the above. Serve as a sauce for gyros. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.
We had these gyro/tacos for dinner last night and they were yummy & quick. The sauce took about 15 minutes to make, but needs to sit for several hours. The rest goes together in a jiffy!
Baba Ghannouj recipe
As you may know, we are Good Eats fans. There is something fascinating about learning the science and history about foods as you are learning to cook. I had recently seen an episode where Alton made baba ghannouj from eggplant, and decided to conquer this middle eastern appetizer. I grilled the eggplant as I was grilling sweet sausages that we had for dinner, so cooking the eggplant was no trouble at all. This is Alton Brown's recipe.
1 eggplant
2 cloves garlic
2 ounces fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini
1/2 bunch parsley, leaves only
Salt and pepper
Pierce some holes in the skin of the eggplant (to avoid explosion) and grill over medium-high heat turning every 7 minutes, until the skin is blackened and the body is nice and soft. Total time for grilling is about 30 minutes. If you do not have a grill you can roast your eggplant in a 375 degree F oven for about 30 minutes. Remove eggplant from the grill and let cool.
Once the eggplant is cool enough to handle, peel away the skin and discard. Place the eggplant flesh in a colander and drain for 10 minutes. In a food processor, combine garlic, lemon juice, tahini and parsley and pulse to combine. Add the eggplant flesh. Season with salt and pepper and pulse to combine. Adjust the flavor with more Tahini or lemon juice if you prefer. If it's bitter, some sugar or honey will help.
A few notes from Sarah: I know you may not keep tahini in your pantry, but when you are looking for it at the grocery store, search in the aisle that has hummus & couscous. When in doubt, just ask, they should have it at a medium to large to grocery. The tahini I got was in a can and the consistency is like peanut butter. Although the recipe didn't say to, I did try to get all the seeds out of the eggplant before it drained. I didn't use quite as much garlic because it tends to give me headaches, but it was still tasty. I did add a touch of honey and that seemed to make the flavor richer. I used quite a bit of dried parsley because I didn't realize that my fresh. . .well, let's just say it wasn't fresh, so I had to toss it. I cut whole wheat pita into triangles and toasted them to get them crunchy. This was a tasty way to use eggplant, and Will really liked it, too.
1 eggplant
2 cloves garlic
2 ounces fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini
1/2 bunch parsley, leaves only
Salt and pepper
Pierce some holes in the skin of the eggplant (to avoid explosion) and grill over medium-high heat turning every 7 minutes, until the skin is blackened and the body is nice and soft. Total time for grilling is about 30 minutes. If you do not have a grill you can roast your eggplant in a 375 degree F oven for about 30 minutes. Remove eggplant from the grill and let cool.
Once the eggplant is cool enough to handle, peel away the skin and discard. Place the eggplant flesh in a colander and drain for 10 minutes. In a food processor, combine garlic, lemon juice, tahini and parsley and pulse to combine. Add the eggplant flesh. Season with salt and pepper and pulse to combine. Adjust the flavor with more Tahini or lemon juice if you prefer. If it's bitter, some sugar or honey will help.
A few notes from Sarah: I know you may not keep tahini in your pantry, but when you are looking for it at the grocery store, search in the aisle that has hummus & couscous. When in doubt, just ask, they should have it at a medium to large to grocery. The tahini I got was in a can and the consistency is like peanut butter. Although the recipe didn't say to, I did try to get all the seeds out of the eggplant before it drained. I didn't use quite as much garlic because it tends to give me headaches, but it was still tasty. I did add a touch of honey and that seemed to make the flavor richer. I used quite a bit of dried parsley because I didn't realize that my fresh. . .well, let's just say it wasn't fresh, so I had to toss it. I cut whole wheat pita into triangles and toasted them to get them crunchy. This was a tasty way to use eggplant, and Will really liked it, too.
Monday, May 5, 2008
I demand a Raise . . .who do I talk to?
Just after I got the babies cleaned up from breakfast, I sat Will down with his daily does of cinnamon oatmeal, and decided to check in with Allen to find out how the hockey game ended last night. As we were talking I heard a lot of commotion then a lot of crying from Maddie and Ben. I told Allen I'd call him back and I went to see who was bitten. As it turns out, Will (not feeling great)abandoned his bowl of oats to lay on the couch. Ben reached the bowl and ran off with it. Maddie was crying because she wanted it. (Realize that I didn't know what was going on until the LOUD crying started) Now, I am making some inferences based on what I saw: Ben started crying when Maddie stole his "HAT"!!! So I came into the picture and Maddie is giggling as she is running across the living room away from Ben with an EMPTY bowl. I get frustrated because Will left his (empty) bowl out. As I look around and see Ben, I realize that the bowl was actually emptied on his head. . .and tummy . . .and feet. . .and this is all on my living room carpet. I took a deep breath, and like any mom should do in this situation, I calmly counted to ten, then let them all have a good yellin'. I asked Will to help me clean up the mess, so he let the dog in -- thank you, God, for my furry maid! I sprayed Ben off in the sink (You wouldn't believe how hairy his feet were! Oatmeal + Black dog hair = big fuzzy slippers). I can't seem to get the cinnamon smell out of the room, but the good thing is I like the smell of cinnamon, AND the carpet is the same color as the oatmeal. . . .that unfortunately means that I probably will be fininding crunchies in the carpet for the next 2 weeks. I went to change my clothes after carrying around oatmeal kids, and the cat was barfing all over my bedroom. I still had not had my coffee. I was worn out and called to finish my conversation with Allen. I reminded him how much I love my job & need a raise, and I found out that the Stars won the game last night in the 4th overtime. I called Jennie and found out that I missed a great weekend at Chasing Rainbows, but I am so glad it went well. Now to start planning for a class for the next time I make it to Kansas. . . but first I need a nap. Yes I say that and it's not even 10 am. I hope the rest of the day is so jolly!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)